This invention relates generally to a power generating apparatus, and more particularly to a wave actuated power generating apparatus utilizing an impulse-type water turbine.
Considerable effort has been expended to harness the immense power of nature. To that end, the following U.S. Patents have been created to harness the energy contained in a large body of water, and particularly the surface waves generated by wind occurring thereupon:
______________________________________ 3,220,255 Yoshio Masuda 3,204,110 Yoshio Masuda 3,231,749 E. C. Hinck III 3,487,228 B. Kriegel 3,515,889 A. W. Kammerer 3,930,168 Tornabene 3,961,863 Hooper, III 4,164,383 French 4,204,406 Hopfe 4,258,269 Tsubota 4,284,902 Borgren, et al. 4,341,959 Ambli 4,441,030 Bellamy 4,454,429 Buonome 4,622,473 Curry ______________________________________
However, none of these references disclose the unique structural and operating features of the present invention which utilizes an impulse-type water turbine generally horizontally mounted for rotation within a housing having an inlet nozzle to receive and split each oncoming wave. One portion of the divided wave serves to directly impact upon the facing surfaces of the water turbine blades causing rotation thereof, while the other portion of the divided wave is redirected from the back panel of the housing to then act against the facing blade surfaces so as to cause a delayed impulse for rotating the water turbine for each wave. The result is a more continuous utilization of the energy contained in each wave to rotate the water turbine.